Improved portable field-fence



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID DENHAM, OF VIRDEN, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVED PORTABLE FIELD-FENCE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,927, dated December 17, i861.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, DAVID DENHAM, of Virden, in the county of Macoupin and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Portable Field-Fences; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specication, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a panel of my improved fence secured in its supports. Fig. 2 is a front View of a panel detached. Fig. 3 isa similar view of one of the supports.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several iigures.

This invention consists in an improved combination of parts, imparting to the fence in a high degree the qualities of strength, lightness, economy, and durability, and adapting it to be set up and taken down or a panel removed in any part with great ease and rapidity, and the fence to be loaded and unloaded and conveyed from place to place with great ease.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to defrom one cross-piece to another, as shown in the drawings, or may be placed in an intermediate and more nearly vertical position, so as to aord better lateral support to the lower rail. The support is formed of two converging pieces D D, connected by horizontal crossp'ieces E E', one at top and one near the bottom, both of which cross-pieces are mortised and gained to receive the projecting ends of the rails A and keys F, by which the same are secured, as hereinafter explained.

To set up the fence the lower rail of one panel is inserted in the mortise in the lower cross-piece E of one of the support-s and the upper rail but one in the mortise in the upper cross-piece E of the same, and corresponding rails of the next panel in the same mortises. The keys F are then driven into the gains, and the two panels and support are thus locked iirmly together. To take out a panel it is only needful to knock out the keys from both its ends and slip one support back from olf it, and the panel may then be easily drawn out of the other support and removed.

The drawings show the gains for the keys c'It on opposite sides of the respective mortises. In practice it is found preferable to cut them on the same side, so that both keys may be inserted or withdrawn Without passing the arm over or through the fence.

In locations which are subject to very high winds it may be desirable to stake down one of the supports at distant intervals.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent', is-

The combination of the horizontal rails A, cross-pieces B, oblique braces C, projecting ends a a, supports D E E', mortises l, gains 2, and keys F, all constructed, arranged, and employed in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore specified.

DAVID DENHAM.

Witnesses:

-OcTAvIUs KNIGHT,

L. W. BENDE. 

